What Are The Best Doses of Phenibut (For Sleep and Anxiety)?
The benefits of nootropics are difficult to quantify.
Many variables contribute to their effectiveness, such as an individual’s age, diet, mood, genetic background, and environmental stimuli, making it difficult to accurately measure the impact of smart drugs.
What’s more, nootropics are becoming so popular among students and athletes that experts are raising concerns about cognitive performance enhancement:
The original purpose of medicine is to heal the sick, not turn healthy people into gods.
They claim that increased use of such drugs could raise the standard of what is considered “normal” performance and widen the gap between those who have access to the medications and those who don’t — and even erode the relationship between struggle and the building of character.
Others have questioned whether it’s even possible to truly enhance human intelligence using synthetic drugs, at least in the long term.
They argue that our current model of evolution does not allow for any “free lunches”, and that any simple major enhancement to human intelligence is a net evolutionary disadvantage.
It’s in this uncertain fog of topics like bioethics and evolution where real nuggets of information about nootropics can be found.
Discussing them might seem a bit trivial if all you want to do is measure a dose of phenibut, but they form the basis of understanding how and why nootropics should be used.
In this article:
How much Phenibut should you take?
While a higher IQ is one of the more highly sought after outcomes of taking any smart drug, it’s not the only outcome. Many nootropics have multiple benefits, and Phenibut is no exception.
Phenibut’s dual roles are: Anxiety and Intelligence.
While the idea of enhancing our intelligence and lowering our anxiety through the equivalent of taking daily vitamins seems preposterous to some, it is a very real possibility for those trying to reach their full potential.
Many nootropics users show improvements in their academic ability, social relationships, and even their overall quality of life from a rather modest nootropic regimen.
As with any supplement routine, it is best to talk to your healthcare provider first to ensure that there is no conflict with existing medications or conditions.
If you decide to take phenibut in the privacy and comfort of your home, the best course of action is to consciously test a variety of doses in different conditions and find a scenario that works best for you as an individual.
Note: I take this brand of Phenibut, and am using it as a basis for this article.
Here is a full list of recommended Phenibut suppliers.
Phenibut dosage
Disclaimer: these numbers are derived entirely from first hand internet user experience reports. Corpina is not responsible for any amazing health benefits or unwanted complications from following the advice on this site.
Guys: 8-10 milligrams per pound of body weight
For a healthy guy in his late teens or early twenties, this comes out to about 1.2 – 1.5 grams. Split this between two or three separate doses throughout the day.
Girls: 5-7 milligrams per pound of body weight
For a healthy girl around the same age, the proper dose is about 0.7 – 0.8 grams (again, spread throughout the day).
Phenibut for sleep
At low doses, Phenibut is a sleep aid. The above doses are intended for phenibut’s use as a nootropic or anxiolytic, and should be taken during waking hours for the purposes of productivity or socializing.
Using a substance of any kind as a sleep aid is a risky endeavor — using an manufactured chemical to induce a natural circadian rhythm seems counterintuitive.
Sleep deprivation can be psychological corrosive for people of all age. When word travels of a “magic bullet” cure, some people overreact and take absurdly high doses. As with all nootropics, testing and measuring incrementally is the quickest path to reaching a desired outcome.
Reports of using phenibut for sleep suggest a dosage of ~500 mg taken 2 hours before bed on an empty stomach.
Dosing too high to induce sleep will worsen the symptoms associated with phenibut hangover, making the next night’s sleep even more difficult.
Sporadic reports of phenibut and melatonin or ZMA (zinc and magnesium) suggest that phenibut works in concert with other over-the-counter sleep aids at low doses.
How do you take Phenibut?
There are two common ways to take phenibut and choosing one or the other is a matter of personal preference.
Phenibut can be ingested in capsule, crystal, or powder form. We generally recommend the capsules as the powder and crystals are quite sour.
Nevertheless, buying Phenibut in bulk form is often cheaper in the long run. Some of our visitors prefer to buy one of the powder brands and then capsulate the phenibut themselves (you can often find empty capsules available online quite cheap).
For convenience and efficiency, we typically suggest purchasing the capsules.
If you’re taking Phenibut in powder form, dissolve the powder in a sweet or sour liquid (any citrus beverage works — except grapefruit!) and drink in one sitting. Orange juice is a popular juice solvent for Phenibut.
Measuring Phenibut (and other powders)
In theory, most people seem to understand the concept that psychoactives can be dangerous or extremely unpleasant if taken at the wrong dosage.
But in practice, many people don’t take the necessary precautions to reduce the chances of such an “overdose”.
Principles of measured doses:
- Use an accurate scale every time individual doses are prepared, especially for substances active at less than 50 mg.
- Demand that individual doses purchased from others be labeled with their exact weight.
- Never measure in a hurry. Individual doses can be measured ahead of time to remove the possibility of being rushed.
- Never measure when high or overtired. When judgment is altered, it’s easy to get more than you bargained for.
While high-quality accurate scales can be expensive, some groups choose to purchase a single scale to be shared. Ten people contributing $40 each can purchase a good scale.
How to measure mg powder
Don’t have a scale?
Many people who acquire powdered psychoactives believe that they can “eyeball” doses accurately enough that a scale isn’t required.
Eyeballing methods take a variety of forms. One example is the “graph paper method”, where a known quantity is spread as evenly as possible on graph paper to determine its volume (size).
Doses are measured based on how many graph paper squares they cover.
The problem with this inaccurate method–and with most eyeballing methods–is that the volume of a measured mass (weight) of material can vary dramatically depending on how dense the material is.
A solid crystal of phenibut exactly 1 cm by 1 cm will weigh significantly more than an equal-sized pile of fluffy powdered phenibut.
Likewise, two exactly equal-sized piles of phenibut can include parts with very different densities. Powders can go from “fluffy”, with low density, large crystals, to “cakey”, to dense crystals more like table salt.
The importance of measured doses
While the difference between powder and a solid crystal would be apparent to the careful eye, the difference between two slightly different densities of powder might not be.
Obviously, these problems are even worse when comparing two different substances.
Another issue arises when eyeballing methods depend on starting with a known quantity of material.
One common process is to take a known quantity of powder, say one gram of MDMA, and divide it into ten equal piles, theoretically resulting in ten 100 mg doses.
But if the original “one gram” measurement can’t be verified, any dividing process is merely guesswork.
While it might seem unlikely that someone selling MDMA will accidentally provide too much material, it’s not at all unheard of.
I regularly get emails from readers who ordered a nootropic online only to discover, when the material arrives, that the company sent nearly twice what was ordered.
Substances that have very low dosages, such as 5-MeO-DMT or 5-MeO-AMT, are especially dangerous to eyeball.
Basing a “5 mg dose” on the fluffy crystal from last spring could easily lead to a 10 mg overdose of a new denser powder.
Measurement techniques
There are several techniques people use for measuring, labeling, and storing individual doses.
- Measuring a series of equal-weight doses. Each dose goes into its own capsule and the capsules are kept together, with a label indicating the contents and quantity. The obvious problem with this method is that if a single capsule gets separated from the rest, there is no way to identify its contents.
- Measuring a series of doses that are different weights. Each dose goes into its own capsule, which is labelled in indelible ink as to its contents and quantity (some do this in code). The variety of doses lets a person choose how much they would like to ingest. The main problem with this method is that the ink can eventually wear off of a capsule.
- Using liquid measuring techniques. A known quantity of material is dissolved into a known volume of liquid (usually alcohol or water). Doing a simple calculation can then identify how much material is in each volume of liquid. A small volume of liquid is much easier to accurately measure than a tiny mass of a powder.
The concern that measuring out individual doses and clearly labeling them could reduce privacy or increase vulnerability to law enforcement is an important one. However, leaving things unlabeled and unmeasured bears its own set of perils.
Erring on the side of caution with measuring and labeling may reduce anxiety-causing guesswork (“did I take the right phenibut dose?”)
Do not rely on a “universal” scoop size.
You should not expect that each brand of phenibut powder will have a scoop that measures the same amount of powder when leveled out. Each company has a unique scooper, and many of those lack any real measurement.
For example, LiftMode Phenibut scoops hold 0.625cc of powder – roughly 500 milligrams, while scoops in Primaforce Phenibut powder lack any numerical measurement.
How long does Phenibut take to work?
It’s important to note that while Phenibut will work very quickly, it is not instantaneous. While you needn’t wait for months or even days for it to “kick in”, it does take a few hours to feel its effects.
We generally suggest allowing for two to three hours for Phenibut to fully work. You will feel it when it begins working. In the interim, it is not recommended that you increase the dosage. Everyone’s takes phenibut for different reasons, though chief among these is social anxiety.
How long does Phenibut effect last?
The effects of Phenibut can last up to 24 hours. However, this does depend on the dosage.
For example, taking smaller doses for minor stress relief or sleep (typically 250 – 500 mg as needed), one is likely to experience the calming effect of phenibut for a few hours.
The recommended dosage for social anxiety (listed above) can have effects lasting for up to 24 hours; when taking this dosage, you are likely to go to bed at night and wake still enjoying the benefits of phenibut.
Also, it is important to keep in mind that depending upon your body’s natural metabolism, your tolerance to Phenibut, etc. the duration of the effects of Phenibut may last longer or for shorter amounts of time.
It is best to begin with recommended doses and then adjust accordingly to what works best for you.
You may require more or less than the recommended dosage on this site. However, until you know how Phenibut is going to effect you, it is best to stick with what we have recommended here.
Note: these time frames assume that the phenibut mixture is consumed on an empty stomach; taken with a meal, the time to onset of effects can double. This leads to another frequently asked question.
The best place to buy Phenibut
Amazon has a decent selection of leading phenibut brands; LiftMode Phenibut is the highest rated and best selling (use “corpina10” for 10% discount).
Recently, I’ve been ordering Solstice Supplements Phenibut, due to its high purity and quick shipping time.
Manufactured in the United States with a HPLC-tested purity of more than 99%, it’s tough to find a better deal for the price.
Why is HPLC an Essential Quality Control (QC) Step for Nootropics?
High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is used in the pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing industry to test products and the ingredients used to make them.
This testing is often performed by a pharmaceutical company’s quality control (QC) laboratory. Chemists employed by these manufacturers will run samples of raw materials or finished goods through HPLC machines and then analyze the results.
HPLC is an important test process in the pharmaceutical and medical industries because they fall under the regulatory umbrella established by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
If a company fails to test products using HPLC and similar methods, the FDA can potentially shut down the company’s entire production line via court order.
Some nootropics users are either brilliant enough, daring enough or dumb enough to synthesize and purify their own phenibut crystals with homemade lab supplies, with varying degrees of quality control.
To ensure that your experience accurately reflects the potential of phenibut and only phenibut, pass on any nootropics that are not HPLC-purified.
Extra Pointers
Dilute a known amount of phenibut powder or phenibut crystals in water and dose using milliliters. Many household cooking products have measurements in ml’s, and this is a safe option for nootropics users.
To combat phenibut’s sour taste, mix the powder into some juice (ideally any citrus juice except grapefruit works well).
Some Bluelight.ru, Drug-Forum.com, and Erowid.org forum threads suggest that 50mg of phenibut powder equates to ~3/8 of a 00 capsule, or just under one half. If eyeballing is your last option, this 50mg is a small bump about the size of your pinky nail.
“Pinky nail” is not the most scientific measurement; instead, think of one rounded tablespoon as approximately 5 grams. From there, separate the tablespoon on a clean surface into 5 equal gram lines and dose accordingly.
Note: eyeballing of any drug is risky at best, and eyeballing a dose of a drug active in the low mg range is downright dangerous.
Overdoses are not pretty, and can be terrifying to those involved. The safest bet: wait before trying phenibut and buy a digital scale, learn how to properly use it and care for it, and use it for every dose.
The FastWeight 0.1g scale is highly recommended by at-home nootropics users for its durability and low price.
Data sources
The data for the phenibut dosages come directly from user experiences on Longecity, Erowid, Bluelight, and other popular nootropics forums.
To learn how and why phenibut works, check out this explanation of phenibut’s side effects . For help with measuring or ‘eyeballing’ phenibut powder, follow these tips.
[catlist excludeposts=this template="div" conditional_title_tag="h6" conditional_title="More on Phenibut" id="41" tags="using"] [catlist excludeposts=this template="div" conditional_title_tag="h6" conditional_title="Where to buy" id="41" tags="buying"] [catlist excludeposts=this template="div" conditional_title_tag="h6" conditional_title="Phenibut vs other products" tags="phenibut-vs"]